“He flirts with every woman he meets.”
Alex slowly lowered her hands to her lap. Anger roiled inside, but she managed to keep her voice low and level. “I resent your implication, Mrs. Minton.”
Sarah Jo lifted one shoulder indifferently. “Both of my men are charming and they know it. Most women don’t realize that their flirting is meaningless.”
“I’m sure that’s true of Angus, but I don’t know about Junior. Three ex-wives might disagree with you about his flirting.”
“They were all wrong for him.”
“What about my mother? Would she have been wrong for him?”
Sarah Jo fixed her empty stare on Alex again. “Absolutely wrong. You’re a lot like her, you know.”
“Am I?”
“You enjoy causing dissonance. Your mother was never content to leave bothersome things alone. The only difference is that you’re even better at making trouble and creating ill will than she was. You’re direct to the point of being tactless, a trait I’ve always attributed to bad breeding.” She lifted her eyes to someone who had moved up behind Alex.
“Good evening, Sarah Jo.”
“Judge Wallace.” A sweet smile broke across Sarah Jo’s face. One would never guess she had had her stinger out seconds earlier. “Hello, Stacey.”
Alex, her face hot with indignation over Sarah Jo’s unwarranted criticism, turned around. Judge Joe Wallace was staring down at her with disapproval, as though her being there was a breach of the club’s standards.
“Miss Gaither.”
“Hello, Judge Wallace.” The woman standing beside him looked at Alex with a censure that matched his, though for what reason, Alex couldn’t guess. Obviously, Junior was the only friendly face she was going to find in this crowd.
The judge gave the woman’s arm a nudge and they moved toward another table. “Is that his wife?” Alex asked, following their progress.
“Good heavens, no,” Sarah Jo said. “His daughter. Poor Stacey. Eternally dowdy.”
Stacey Wallace was still staring at Alex with such malice that she was captivated by it. She didn’t break her stare until Junior’s knee bumped hers when he resumed his seat and set two plates of food on the table.
“I hope you like ribs and beans.” His gaze followed the direction of hers. “Hey, Stacey.” He winked at her and raised his hand in a friendly wave.
The woman’s puckered mouth relaxed into a faltering smile. Blushing, she raised her hand to her neckline like a flustered girl and called back shyly, “Hi, Junior.”
“Well?”
Though she was still curious about the judge and his chameleon daughter, Junior’s one-word inquiry brought Alex’s head around. “Sorry?”
“Do you like ribs and beans?”
“Watch me,” she laughed, spreading the napkin over her lap.
She did unladylike damage to her plate of food, but her healthy appetite earned her a compliment from Angus. “Sarah Jo eats like a bird. Don’t you like the ribs, honey?” he asked, looking into her plate, which had barely been disturbed.
“They’re a little dry.”
“Want me to order you something else?”
“No, thank you.”
After they’d eaten, Angus took a fresh cigar from his pocket and lit it. Fanning out the match, he said, “Why don’t you two dance?”
“Are you game?” Junior asked.
“Sure.” Alex pushed back her chair and stood up. “But this kind of dancing isn’t my forte, so nothing too fancy, please.”